Having someone help you

A representative is often called an agent or an advocate. We are committed to seeing that you get all the assistance you’re entitled to and will work with you or your representatives to see that this happens.

Some reasons for having a representative

Important information

You may want help in your dealings with us. You can appoint someone as your representative to help you or to act on your behalf.

You can have a representative for any reason. This might be because:

you’re overseas

you have difficulty communicating

you have mobility issues that makes it physically hard to go to our offices

you’re ill

you’re living in residential care or an institution

you disagree with a decision we made and want help or advice

you’ve been served with a trespass notice which says you can’t enter our offices.

Your representative can only do what you say they can do. This can include anything that you have the right to do. You can also state what they can’t do. The exception to this is when your representative has been appointed by a court order. In this case the court order determines what they can and can’t do.

Some examples of what you might want your representative to do are to:

get personal information we hold about you

provide information on your behalf, such as change of address or income details

receive your mail from us

complete and sign application forms on your behalf

have authority over your affairs, as granted by a current Power of Attorney

be paid part or all of your benefit on your behalf.

You don't lose your right to talk to us, or act for yourself when you have a representative. You can cancel or change your agreement at any time. The exceptions to this are when your representative was appointed by a court order or holds an Enduring Power of Attorney.

Having your benefit paid to your representative

There needs to be a good reason before we will pay your benefit to your representative. This could be because:

Depending on what you want your representative to do, the most appropriate person might be either:

a family member

someone you trust

a person or an organisation that cares for you, but not your Youth Service provider if you have one

an advocate

a lawyer.

You can have more than one representative. They may represent you for different things. For example, you may have a family member who fills in forms for you and an advocate who represents you in a dispute with us.

If we have a good reason, we have the right to decline to work with a representative that you appointed. A good reason why we may decline to work with a representative could be because they:

A form designed to make it easier to appoint a representative. Please complete this form if you would like an agent to act on your behalf.

Court appointed representatives

In some cases a court may make someone your representative. This could be for example, if you can't act for yourself. The court order will state what powers your representative has.

You can't change or cancel the conditions of the court order. Only the court can do that.

Representative appointed without your agreement

In exceptional circumstances, we may allow someone to act as a person's representative without any legal document. An example might be when someone is in a coma and needs assistance from us and there isn't time to get a court order. We would normally need a medical certificate, or other evidence that the person is unable to act for themselves temporarily.

In these sorts of cases we will always act in what we believe are the best interests of the person receiving assistance.

Power of attorney

If someone has your power of attorney or enduring power of attorney, they can act as your representative.

You can change or cancel someone's power of attorney but not someone's enduring power of attorney.

Citizens Advice Bureau is an independent community organisation that can help you find a representative. They provide information, independent advice and support to individuals. Their services are free, impartial and confidential.